


midnight train

by ewagan



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Detroit, Gen, Trains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-04 18:04:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10996131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ewagan/pseuds/ewagan
Summary: "Phichit, this is not a good idea."“Live a little, Yuuri. You need more adventure in your life.”Or, Phichit and Yuuri reenact parts of a Journey song.





	midnight train

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from Journey's [Don't Stop Believing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCy7lLQwToI), which was also what fueled the entire conversation that resulted in this.
> 
> thanks lark for wrecking my life. I'm sorry they didn't actually wind up in Vegas.

It's late and Phichit can feel something like restlessness brewing in his bones. He’s a city boy at heart, but there is something different about Detroit. Detroit is a large city, yes, but it's not home. He misses the hustle and bustle of Bangkok,  the strange lyricism of people calling out to each other in Thai interspersed with the violent honking of motorists, the endless markets and and the oppressive heat. Well, maybe not so much the heat, but he misses being able to go out in shorts and flip flops, misses the night markets and the strange variety of street food he’d grown up eating.

Restlessness gnaws at him and he stares at the ceiling contemplatively, wondering what it would be like if he just got up and kept walking, until his bones settle down and he felt less as if he were about to burst out of his own skin. Yuuri appears completely unaffected by this strange restlessness that’s taken hold of Phichit, seemingly content to scribble away at his notes.

"Hey Yuuri, let's go somewhere." It's just a stray thought, but the more Phichit thinks about it, the more the idea draws him. He starts rummaging around for some essentials and looking for his bag.

"Huh?" Yuuri's look of confusion is makes Phichit smile, even as he unearths his bag from underneath a pile of not clean but not quite dirty clothes.

"Let's go somewhere." he repeats, slower this time. There’s a vague plan forming even as he checks his wallet, wondering if he has enough money for a train ticket.

"Now?" Yuuri's still looking at him, confusion clear on his face and apprehension creeping in. He's so easy to read that Phichit despairs of him sometimes. 

"Yes now." Phichit's smile is fond and exasperated. "Come on, get your coat." He throws an extra sweater and his water bottle into the bag, decides it’s enough and zips his bag decisively. He also knows that Yuuri is about to start worrying - in fact, the questions have already begun - so he confiscates Yuuri's phone and grabs Yuuri’s hand, then they're headed toward the train station, all while Yuuri is fretting at him. He dismisses all of Yuuri's concerns blithely. feeling excitement stirring in his veins with each step he takes.

Of course, it’s a perfect opportunity for a selfie, so he snaps one while Yuuri wrings his hands in the background.

_ Off on an adventure! _ He posts the picture, and wonders if he should livetweet the entire escapade as Yuuri’s fretting begins to pick up steam.

"Phichit, we have training in like, six hours."

"Missing one session won't hurt. Ciao-ciao's been telling us rest is important anyways."

"Do we even know where we're going?"

"Nope, let's just hop on the next train going wherever."

"Phichit, this is not a good idea."

“Live a little, Yuuri. You need more adventure in your life.”

" _Phicit!_ " Yuuri sputters helplessly.

Phichit merely grins and snaps another photo, but Yuuri's trailing after him, albeit a little reluctantly and despairing at his _laissez faire_ attitude. Phichit believes in hard work and persistence and planning, but he also thinks life is too short not to hop on trains in the middle of the night when the urge strikes, or to pass up on pole dancing classes because they're unconventional. Things will be what they will, and Phichit doesn't believe in worrying.

The station is an old building without much to it, but it’s the start of an adventure and Phichit can feel it sweeping him up, reminiscent of the way he could always feel the coming of a storm in his bones before a real thunderstorm came and swept through Bangkok’s streets.

“Come on, Yuuri. Life is an adventure.” he wheedles. “It’ll be fun.” His grin is infectious, and Yuuri finally smiles too.

“You said that about pole dancing too.” he answers with a sigh, but Phichit’s smile is unrepentant.

“But you enjoy it and you’re good at it.” he fires back, all while Yuuri shakes his head fondly.

They wind up on a train to Chicago, watching lights flash past as they rattle through the city. Yuuri’s finally given it up as a lost cause, since they’re already on the train. Phichit decides that this is an opportunity and promptly snaps a selfie of the two of them and the empty train, the dim lights and dark windows.

_ Midnight train!  _ The caption proudly proclaims, as he hits the upload button. It’s 2AM and they’re on a train headed to Chicago, and Phichit can feel his veins thrumming with something unspoken. Yuuri’s leaning against the window, tension slipping away with each mile they pull away from Detroit. He has a faint smile on his face, and Phichit thinks that he hasn’t seen Yuuri look this relaxed in a while. With the strain of classes and training in addition to Yuuri’s tendency to worry too much, Phichit thinks that Yuuri’s well on his way to having wrinkles by thirty.

Still, it’s nice to see him like this. Sure, it was a spontaneous decision, but the added benefits are definitely welcome. Phichit smiles to himself and snaps a covert photo, then opts to stare out the window at until he drifts off somewhere between Ann Arbor and Jackson.

 

When he wakes up, there’s the glint of water in the distance and the faint light in the horizon that suggests dawn is not too far away. Yuuri’s asleep, his cheek pressed against the window, glasses slipping down his nose and mouth slack with sleep. He’s going to wake up with a crick in his neck, but Phichit knows he won’t complain. Yuuri’s never been a complainer, and Phichit admires that quality in him. He simply gets back to it, persistence and perseverance as he tries that jump once more, picking himself up when he falls.

A particularly sharp jerk of the train rouses Yuuri, who blinks sleepily at Phichit and then smiles, something soft and precious and Phichit’s suddenly aware how lucky he is to have a friend like Yuuri, who’s willing to be swept up by Phichit’s impulses despite his protests and fretting.

“Hey Yuuri?”

“Hmm?” Yuuri’s still hazy with sleep, soft around the edges as he yawns.

“Thanks for coming with me.” 

“Of course.” Yuuri’s smile makes something in Phichit’s chest ache, just a little.

It wouldn’t be so hard to fall in love with his best friend, he thinks. Maybe he already has, even if it’s just the tiniest bit.

 

They pull into Union Station just as the sun is peeking up over the horizon.

When they arrive, Phichit takes as many pictures as he can, dragging Yuuri in for selfie after selfie, their faces smooshed together as they wander through Union Station. It’s still too early for the morning rush when they make it out to the streets, but there is a Starbucks open nearby and they plop down at a table. Eventually, he stumbles to the counter to order himself some coffee, decides he can afford to indulge and gets himself a mocha  _ with _ the whipped cream and the extra shot, sipping at it gleefully while Yuuri nurses his cup of tea. They share a muffin and Phichit contemplates the possibility of a croissant as well, and wonders if Celestino has discovered their escape yet.

He’s scrolling through his Instagram and replying to comments when his phone begins to chime with a string of messages from Celestino, and Phichit has to hide a smile.

_ (07:10) You’re late. Where are you?? _

_ (07:12) Phichit where are you? _

_ (07:15) why aren’t you in your room??? _

_ (07:16) did you take yuuri??? _

_ (07:17) where are you two??? _

_ (07:17) Phichit where the hell are you two you better not be kidnapped _

_ (07:18) Phichit what the hell answer me i know you’re seeing the messages _

His phone starts ringing ominously, and Phichit stares at it as it shakes their tiny table. He lets it ring while Yuuri looks at him with wide eyes, and Phichit can almost hear the worrying start up. Then it stops, and Yuuri exhales as if he’d just run around the block. The screen lights up again with a new message from Celestino, and Phichit knows that Yuuri is reading it upside down.

_ (07:20) Phichit answer the phone damnit _

Phichit decides it’s time to leave, stuffing his face with the remnants of their muffin as his phone begins to ring again. He hits the ignore button with less concern than he probably ought to have.

“Hey Yuuri, c’mere.” Phichit gestures for Yuuri to scoot over. He snaps a picture of them together sends it to Celestino, giggling when his phone begins to ring again and Yuuri opens his mouth to start fretting. The first problem he rectifies by shoving his phone in his bag, where it’s muffled and he can’t really hear it. It means less pictures for now, but Celestino will give up after ten minutes of unanswered calls and texts.

The second is resolved by grabbing Yuuri’s hand and pulling him down the street. They have a city to explore and a whole day ahead of them.

It was time for an adventure.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Any kudos and comments are very much appreciated. 
> 
> You can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ewagan). c:


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